Door mirrors... I think I need some!

[gturner008]

 

My car does not have either driver or passenger door mirrors. Is this standard for a UK TC, RHD?

If I wanted to put a pair on, is this an easy job? Does anyone recommend a good parts supplier? Cheers, Gary

[BDA]

In the states, there was a Vitaloni Sebring mirror on both doors. The mirrors were mounted on a plastic base. I would guess the Brit cars had the same setup. (I wasn't able to find mirrors in a quick look through the TC parts manual)

The first Europa I bought had chromed metal housings. I don't remember what the car I have now originally came with but they were probably chromed metal housings. I haven't seen the metal housed mirrors since the '70s. They are all plastic now and can be had in chrome or black plastic. The base is available on this side of the pond here (http://www.rdent.com/) and I assume somebody has them over there - maybe Richard at Banks (http://www.banks-europa.co.uk/index.php).

Even though my Europas had mirrors on both sides, the passenger side mirror was useless because I couldn't see out of it! I was told it was there for looks. They didn't lie!

While I'm thinking about it the parts and workshop manuals are available from this site, a version that is searchable is available here (http://lotus-europa.com/manuals/). The lotuseuropa yahoo group is another good source of information. You can search topics of interest (called the knowledgebase) here (http://lotus-europa2.com/ekb.html).

[exarkun1178]

I am making the decdision now, whether to put on the side mirrors.  I cant seem to find a mirror that provides a decent  rear view.  Further, i not sure on a location to even  mount them.  dosent look like the doors are strong enough to support a mirror.  and dont like them when mounted on the body, forward of the doors.

I do have a HUGE rear view mirror inside the cabin (11" wide)  but know i am  will still have big blind spots.

[BDA]

The Sebring mirrors are very lightweight and the driver's side one provides a decent view (at least that was my memory. I now have much larger mirrors). My interior mirror is the standard one and I probably use it most of the time as it gives a surprising view. However, I'm considering a 5 panel wink mirror to replace the inside mirror which should provide the best possible rear view.. Since I am so tall that I pretty much see out of the upper few inches of the windshield, I didn't install the visors so I won't be missing them if/when I install the wink mirror.

As for the location of the stock Sebring mirrors, you can get an idea from this picture in the Gallery available from the main page (http://www.lotuseuropa.org/gallery/1153R/lotus_3). I think the owner would probably want you to look past the bell bottoms!

[EuropaTC]

Hi Gary,

Hey, this is a Lotus....   Chapman used to complain when people put washers under bolt heads because of the extra weight, so there's no way he'd have fitted ornaments to add weight and spoil the drag factor   

I think they were all dealer fitted, and has already been said the real life performance is variable.  The previous owner of my car fitted two door mirrors and it just wasn't possible to adjust the passenger side with enough angle to see behind. They were vitaloni sebring copies, very trendy in the 70s.  I now just have a single mirror on the driver's door which does work after a fashion, but coming from a modern car with two fully functional door mirrors, it's a culture shock.

The problem is that they are fitted very close to the door line so you can't get enough angle on the passenger side. Mounting on a small pillar to space it away from the door and tilt it slightly would be better, and a flexible mount (as on the Elise) I think would solve the problem entirely. I've recently been looking at the Vitaloni california mirrors as I think they would work, but was slightly discouraged by comments that they droop out of alignment - I need to see some in real life I think.

Brian

[jbcollier]

I'm going to use light-weight, convex racing mirrors on mine.  They are available in CF or plastic in various sizes from a variety of vendors.  I went with the below as they had the widest field of view and the largest mirror (still quite small).

http://racemirrors.com/Club%20International.htm

CF is not cheap but it is super light which will reduce the likelihood of stress cracks.

[4129R]

I bought my first 1975 TCS in 1978. I cannot recall any door mirrors on it, and it was the 5th or 6th last one ever made.

Should never have sold it....................

[3929R]

A while back I sent someone pictures of my mirrors with a ruler next to them to show their locations on the doors, but I can't find those pics. I did find these pics of my mirrors (original mirrors, original paint, original pinstipes...).

I always assumed the passenger mirror was attached to meet a US fed safety regulation. It certainly wasn't attached to the passenger door to be used by the driver.

[BDA]

It didn't have anything to do with safety regulations. At the time, most cars did not have passenger side mirrors at all. I think they were used on the passenger side to look cool. I guess the extra weight didn't offend Chunky! 

That's exactly what the original mirrors on my car looked like. AFAIK, they are no longer available, The metal 'cover' is now plastic (either black or chrome). They were available in tinted and/or convex mirrors. Tinted mirrors are no longer available but convex are.

[jbcollier]

I thought they were always plastic: much lighter and , therefore, no stress cracks.  If they were metal then today's plastic ones are an improvement.

[3929R]

Mine are what I would call "chromed plastic."

[BDA]

Maybe I was incorrect that they used to be metal. The are certainly thicker now than they were. Here is a picture of the current Vitaloni Sebring mirror:

[Bainford]

The mirrors on my Europa, also an original paint car with I believe original mirrors, appear to be identical to the ones shown in Mark's photos on the yellow Europa above. Does anyone know if these mirrors are adjustable? I have poked and prodded a bit, but not too hard as they seem a bit delicate. There appears to be no adjustment, though this would seem odd.

[BDA]

The mirror inside the cover is adjustable by pushing on the edge of the mirror.

[blasterdad]

These are the mirrors that are on mine, they appear to be chromed potmetal...
The first pic is the drivers side which is off the car, it says "ROBERK" on the base.



Passenger side on the car...




They look like they came with the car... ?